Attachment for screen-doors.



A. R. GORDON. ATTACHMENT FOR SCREEN noons. APPLICATION IIIJED SEPT. 15,1908.

931,41 1.. Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

atbmeg ARTHUR R. GORDON, OF GORIN, MISSOURI.

ATTACHMENT FOR SCREEN-DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Application filed September 15, 1908. Serial No. 453,195.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR R. GORDON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gorin, in the county of Scotland and State of Missouri, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Screen-Doors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an attachment for screen doors, and has forits object to provide a simple and effective device by which a doorwhich is warped or twisted out of shape may be straightened .toaccurately fit the door frame or parts against which it is intended toseat.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had tothe accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a door showing the application of my invention thereto.Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, on an enlargedscale, showing'the fastening and adjusting means of one of the operatinglevers. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the brackets, rod or shaft andassociated parts. Fig. 4 is a view showing the manner of reversing thebracket plates side-for-side, so as to adapt the device for use on widerdoors. Fig. 5 is a horizontal goss section through the parts shown inReferring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a screen door ofconventional construotion, the side pieces 2 of which are formed at ornear the center thereof with angular mortises or recesses 3 for thepurpose of preparing the same for the application of my attachment,whereby the door, if warped or otherwise twisted out of shape, may bestraightened to a normal condition.

The device embodying my invention comprises a pair of metallic bracketplates -14 adapted to be secured to the outer faces of the side pieces 2by screws or other suitable fastenings 5. Each of these bracket platesis provided at its inner edge with a bearing ear or lug 6 bent outwardat right angles therefrom and suitably apertured for the passage of atransverse rod or shaft 7. The rod or shaft 7, which may be either solidor tubular and of a nature adapted to sustain without breakage apredetermined twisting strain, is extended at its ends, after theapplication of the bracket plate to the door, through the openings inthe ears 6, and each end of the shaft is formed with a plurality oftransverse openings 8-8. Upon each end. of the shaft beyond the ear ofthe adjacent bracket is applied a lever 9 provided with an outwardlyextending hub or sleeve 10 perforated for the passage of a fastening pin11, which is also adapted to pass through either one of the openings 8-8to fixedly secure the lever to the rod or shaft. The free end of thelever is bent or quarter-twisted to provide an arm or extension 12 whichis perforated for the passage of an adjusting and securing bolt or screw13, said screw being adapted to pass through either one of a pair ofopenings 14-14 in the bracket plate and to extend within the recess 3 ofthe adjacent side piece 2 of the door and to receive a re taining nut 15seated in said recess and bearing against the inner face of the bracketplate.

he openings 14141 in the two bracket plates are respectively disposedabove and below the rod supporting portions of the ears 6 thereof. Inthe operation of straightening or restoring a door to normal condition,the nuts 15 are primarily fixed in the recesses 3 and held againstrotation in any preferred manner, as by making both the recesses andnuts of non-circular form, and the levers are applied to the ends of thegod or shaft after the latter has been extended through the ears, withthe arm of one lever projecting upwardly and the other downwardly. Thelevers are then successively moved toward the bracket plates 4- 4 andthe screws 13 passed through the openings in the lever arm and openingsin the bracket plates and engaged with the nuts, after which the screwsare threaded through the nuts by means of a screw driver or othersuitable tool so as to gradually draw the lever arms toward the bracketplates. As shown in Fig. 1, the levers coacting with the respectivebracket plates 14 have their arms respectively projecting upward anddownward and the screws 13 pass through the opening 14 of the plate 4and opening 14 of the plate 4, so that as the screws are threadedthrough the nuts the opposite ends of the shaft will be subjected toreverse torsional or twisting strain and will thereby operate through aleverage action on the side pieces of the door to bring such side piecesinto exact alinement and thus restore the warped or twisted door to anormal condition, in which it will be maintained by the attachment. As aresult, a door badly warped or twisted out of shape may be, by a greateror less extent of adjustment of the screws, straightened out, so that itwill closely fit within a door frame or seat against the arts againstwhich it is intended to bear of wide doors, thus rendering the deviceapplicable to both narrow and wide doors within determined limits. Ofcourse, the number of openings 8-8 in the shaft may vary to space thebrackets variable distances apart for the purpose described. It

will be further understood that by reversing the levers from theposition shown in Fig. 1 so that the lever associated with bracket plate4 will extend u wardly, while the lever associated with brac 6t plate 4will extend downwardly, in which event the adjusting screws of saidlevers will respectively pass through the openings 14 and 14 in the saidbracket plates 4 and 4, the torsional strain will be correspondinglyreversed, so that by the ap )lication of the parts in the aforesaid ways(oors warped or twisted in opposite directions may be quickly andconveniently straightened out.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1.A device for straightening screen doors comprising a pair of bracketsadapted to be attached to the sides of the door, a rod or shaftjournaled in said brackets, levers adapted to be applied to the ends ofthe shaft for exerting a twisting strain to restore the door to normalcondition, and means for fixing the levers to maintain the parts in suchcondition.

2. A device for straightening screen doors comprising a pair ofattaching brackets adapted to be secured to the sides of the door, a rodor shaft carried by said brackets, means for placing said rod or shaftunder strain to straighten out the portions of the door, and means forretaining the parts in such condition.

3. A device for straightening screen doors comprising a pair ofattaching brackets adapted to be applied to the sides of the door, a rodor shaft journaled in said brackets, levers adapted to be applied to theends of the shaft for imparting reverse torsional strain thereto, andadjusting means for each lever including a bolt or screw for operatingsaid levers and fixing them in position to retain the torsional strain.

4. A device for straightening screen doors comprising a pair ofattaching brackets adapted to be applied to the sides of the door, a rodor shaft adapted to be mounted in said brackets to have turningmovement, levers adapted to be applied to the ends of the shaft andmoved in reverse directions to place the ends of the shaft under reversetorsional strain, and adjusting means connecting the levers with thesaid brackets, whereby the levers may be operated and retained in straininducing position.

5. A device for straightening screen doors comprising attaching bracketsadapted to be secured to the sides of the door and provided withperforated ears, a rod or shaft extending through said ears and havingopenings in its opposite ends, levers provided with lat erallyprojecting hubs having openings therein, pins adapted to pass throughsaid hub and openings in the shaft to secure the levers thereto, wherebythe levers may be operated in reverse directions to' place the oppositeends of the shaft under reverse torsional strain, adjusting andretaining screws passing through the free ends of the levers and thebracket plates, and nuts engaging said screws and bearing against therear sides of the bracket plates, said nuts being adapted to be heldagainst rotation in the application of the device to a door. A

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR H. GORDON.

Witnesses H. I. THURMAN, HENRY WEBER.

